Honduran radio station goes online after suspension

Early Monday morning, military and police personnel
forcefully shut down the Tegucigalpa-based Radio Globo under a decree by the de
facto government that suspends civil liberties, CPJ
reported. Today, Honduran and international media outlets said the radio
station was being broadcast online.

Radio Globo’s owner, Alejandro Villatoro, told the Spanish
news service EFE that the station began
broadcasting online just hours after police officers and soldiers raided the its
offices and confiscated material and equipment. Villatoro said online
transmission was being aired from a private home, and would continue until
authorities were able to determine their location and again close them down, EFE reported.

Until late this afternoon, Radio Globo could still be heard
online. Its transmissions are being streamed on RadioGloboHonduras.

Radio Globo and TV station Canal 36, also closed by Honduran
authorities on Monday, are private broadcasters known for their loyalty to
ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Canal 36 was not transmitting today. News
reports said that the buildings, which house both stations, remained under
heavy police custody. Radio Globo and Canal 36 have been forced off
the air several times since Zelaya was ousted three months ago. They were
the first to report on Zelaya’s return to Tegucigalpa
last week.

Meanwhile, EFE
reported that the interim Honduran government led by Roberto Micheletti has
hired a U.S.-based public relations company to improve its image abroad
following a slew of harsh criticism from the international community.

María Salazar-Ferro is CPJ’s Impunity Campaign and Journalist Assistance Program coordinator. A native of Bogotá, she studied at Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá, and graduated from the University of Virginia. She reports on exiled and missing journalists, and has represented CPJ on missions to Mexico and the Philippines, among others.